News Bulletins

July 28, 2004

NEW YORK CITY — The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS (AGO) is pleased to announce the results of its groundbreaking grants program to assist AGO chapters with funding for membership recruitment campaigns, and awards program to reward chapters for significant increases in voting membership. The results of these initiatives were announced at the Annual Meeting of the AGO on Friday, July 9, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Three chapters that had designed an outstanding and fully conceived membership development campaign for 2004–2005 were awarded grants in the amount of $500 each:

Sandusky (Ohio) Chapter
Southern Arizona Chapter
Albuquerque (N. Mex.) Chapter

Three chapters that demonstrated an increase in membership of at least ten percent in 2003–2004 received an award in the amount of $500 each.

Carson-Newman College (Tenn.) Chapter
Brooklyn (N.Y.) Chapter
Fox Valley (Ill.) Chapter

Grants and awards were made by the AGO Committee on Membership Development and Chapter Support. "The committee believed that the creation of a grant and awards program would be both motivational and rewarding for chapters," noted Jennifer Madden, AGO Membership and Marketing Coordinator and staff liaison to the Committee on Membership Development and Chapter Support. "The number of applicants for the grant program was quite impressive for its first year, and chapters receiving awards were both honored and inspired to recruit more members for their chapters in the future. The development of new membership recruitment and retention ideas outside of the committee is an added bonus of these programs." Chapters receiving grants and awards and the details of their recruitment efforts will be featured in the October 2004 issue of The American Organist Magazine. #

The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, it sets and maintains high musical standards and promotes the understanding and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. The mission of the AGO is to enrich lives through organ and choral music. The Guild currently serves approximately 19,000 members in more than 300 local chapters throughout the United States and abroad. The American Organist Magazine, the official journal of the AGO and the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, reaches an audience of more than 20,000 readers each month.

This information is submitted by F. Anthony Thurman, Director of Development and Communications at the National Headquarters of the American Guild of Organists and The American Organist Magazine. For further information, please contact Dr. Thurman by TEL (212) 870-2310, FAX (212) 870-2163 or E-MAIL fathurman@agohq.org.